After five days of top-notch action from Great Britain’s ultimate flat racing festival, we gauge exactly what is in store next for the winners from last week and what impact the main protagonists will have had on any future ante-post markets.
Here is your five-day résumé.
Tuesday
- Eve Johnson Houghton secured a first Group 1 winner and maiden victory at Royal Ascot when Accidental Agent won the opening Queen Anne Stakes at 33-1.
- Calyx confirmed his class by delivering an awesome run to land the Coventry Stakes under Frankie Dettori and was immediately slashed for the Qipco 2,000 Guineas to as low as 4-1 favourite by some bookmakers, with 8-1 the biggest price on the high street.
- Blue Point claimed top honours in the King's Stand Stakes in the five-furlong sprint of the week. "There is the Nunthorpe, but there is also a race in Ireland so we will have to wait and see where we go." said his trainer Charlie Appleby.
- Without Parole brought up a day one double for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori with victory in the St James's Palace Stakes. The winner was cut to 12/1 for the 10-furlong Coral-Eclipse.
- Lagostovegas provided Willie Mullins with a fourth victory in the Ascot Stakes. Dual-purpose mare Lagostovegas may have more staying handicap targets on the horizon said Mullins.
- Frankie Dettori and John Gosden completed a hat-trick on the opening day of Royal Ascot as Monarchs Glen landed the concluding Wolferton Stakes.
Wednesday
- Signora Cabello (25/1) edged out Coolmore’s Gossamer Wings in the Queen Mary Stakes making Phoenix Thoroughbreds the new people to watch in any upcoming feature races.
- The talented Kew Garden led home an O'Brien-trained 1-2-3 in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase. Kew Gardens is now the 6-1 joint favourite for the St Leger in September.
- Aljazzi, runner-up in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes last year, went one better in the Group 2 event to give trainer Marco Botti his first Royal Ascot winner. The Falmouth is next on her agenda.
- Saeed Suhail’s Poet’s Word upset odds-on favourite Cracksman to win the 1 ¼- mile Prince of Wales’s Stakes under James Doyle and earned an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf.
- Settle For Bay scorched clear to give David Marnane a famous victory in the Royal Hunt Cup. A four-time winner on the all-weather at Dundalk in the winter, the 16/1 chance gave Marnane his second Royal Ascot winner after Dandy Boy's success in the 2012 Wokingham.
- Expert Eye, one-time favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, was victorious in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes, giving jockey James McDonald a first success at Royal Ascot.
Thursday
- Shang Shang Shang held on to provide Wesley Ward with a tenth Royal Ascot success in the Norfolk Stakes and booked herself an automatic place for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs in November.
- Ryan Moore rode his 50th winner at Royal Ascot as Hunting Horn flounced his rivals in the Hampton Court Stakes. "He's got a lot of options, he can step up to a mile and a half, you could have a look at an Eclipse, you could go to France or we could give him a little bit of time as well.” Said his trainer Aidan O’Brien.
- O’Brien’ Magic Wand dominated her rivals in the Ribblesdale Stakes winning by four lengths. She may now take in the Irish Oaks before a possible trip to the Arc.
- Stradivarius, the 7-4 joint-favourite, stayed on best of all to beat Vazirabad and Torcedor at the end of a three-way scrap for the Ascot Gold Cup. Owner Bjorn Nielsen’s plan now is to defend the Goodwood Cup.
- Silvestre de Sousa made virtually every yard on Simon Crisford’s Ostilio in the Britannia Stakes, to take the spoils in the cavalry charge over a mile.
- Baghdad claimed a narrow victory after a thrilling end to the King George V Stakes. Mark Johnston saddled six in the closing handicap of the day and it was the son of Frankel who proved the strongest.
Friday
- Main Edition could be a contender for next season’s 1000 Guineas after following up wins at Windsor and Goodwood with victory in the Albany Stakes.
- Old Persian was the clear-cut winner of the King Edward VII Stakes, representing the Derby-winning combination of Charlie Appleby and William Buick. Asked if the St Leger was next on the agenda for the three-year-old, Appleby said: "William said it could be something to keep an eye on, but I'm happy to stay at a mile and a half given the pace he has shown at shorter trips. I've put him in the Grand Prix de Paris, and that is one for option.”
- Eqtidaar (12-1) just managed to hold to victory in the Commonwealth Cup on the fourth day of the meeting. The winner and the runner-up, Sands Of Mali, may now renewal rivalry in the July Cup.
- Jessica Harrington said at the weekend that she is weighing up several options for her record breaking filly Alpha Centauri - The Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown and the Irish Champion Stakes are all on the table after she demolished the field in the Coronation Stakes. She is highly likely to sign off this landmark season with a trip to the Breeders’ Cup.
- Agrotera charged down the centre of the track to win the Sandringham Stakes. Ed Walker’s filly was the 11-2 favourite having opened her account at Windsor last month.
- Dash Of Spice gave David Elsworth his first Royal Ascot winner for 11 years in the closing Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap. "I would love to win the Ebor again," said Elsworth after the race.
Saturday
- Arthur Kitt claimed an emotional victory in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. Tom Dascombe's horse is a son of the yard's 2012 Queen Mary Stakes heroine Ceiling Kitty, who died after giving birth to this Camelot colt.
- Sir Michael Stoute’s Crystal Ocean landed the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes on the final day of the 2018 Royal meeting and is set to return to Ascot for the King George next month. Bookmakers make him the 4/1 favourite.
- Soldier’s Call provided upcoming trainer Archie Watson with his first winner at Royal Ascot with victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes. Soldier's Call's will now head to Goodwood for the Molecomb Stakes, while looking further ahead Watson is keen to take the juvenile to the Breeders' Cup.
- Merchant Navy (4-1) managed to grab a dramatic victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Formerly trained in Australia, the four-year-old provided his new handler Aidan O'Brien with his first Group One winner of the week as he got the better of the French raider City Light.
- Bacchus narrowly outgunned the gambled-on Dreamfield to claim the Wokingham Stakes. Trainer Brian Meehan said after the race: "We've been talking about the Ayr Gold Cup and races like that for him. He's tailor-made for the job."
- The quirky giant Pallasator claimed the Queen Alexandra Stakes, the final race of Royal Ascot 2018. The nine-year-old joined Gordon Elliott last year to embark on a belated jumping career in the hope it would revitalise a horse with his own ideas. Elliott afterwards: "He's won today. I'll talk to the owners and see what they want to do. I'd love to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup one day."
